Disposable bedpan



May 26, 1970 ORING ET AL 3,513,488

' DISPOSA BLE BEDPAN v 7 Filed Oct. 5, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet l MARK ORING HILLARD J. TRUBiTT H504, swarm ATTORNEYS Fig 2 v \NVENTORS May 26, 1970 M. ohms ETAL 3,513,488

' DYISPOSABLE BEDPAN Filed Oct. 5, 1967 4' Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSI MARK OR-ING BYHILLARD J. TRUBITT WW1, smumk ATTO RNEYS May 26, 1970 .M. ORING ET-AL Q DISPOSABLE BEDPAN Filed Oct. 5. 1967 4 Sheets- Sheet 5 INVENTORS MARK ORING HILLARD J. TRUBITT BY 14ml, W ML ATTORNEYS May 26, 1970 M, Q ING ETI'AL 3,513,488

DISPOSABLE BEDPAN H Filed 001;. 5, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS MARK ORING HILLARD J. TRUBITT may, em 226ml ATTORNEYS United States Patent Int. Cl. A61g 9/00 US. Cl. 4112 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable bedpan comprising a ring-shaped, flexible and inflatable cushion constructed from a fluid-impervious material, a fluid-impervious, flexible panel sealably connected about the perimeter of the cushion to provide, when the cushion is inflated, a reservoir for collecting waste and fluid-impervious flap connected to the cushion and arranged to be folded back thereover entirely to cover the reservoir. Preferably, the bedpan is provided as a kit in a sealed, sterile package, and such a kit may include a cartridge containing pressurized gas for inflating the bedpan and means for puncturing the cartridge to release the gas. The preferred method for using the bedpan comprises the steps of removing the bedpan from the package, inflating the bedpan, inserting the bedpan under the patient and, when the patient has completed evacuation, removing the bedpan from under the patient, emptying the bedpan in the nearest commode, deflating the bedpan and depositing the empty bedpan into a disposable container.

One of the biggest problems facing a hospital is the sterile, eflicient and economical disposal of body waste of bedridden or nonambulatory patients.

Presently, rigid bedpans fabricated from metal or other rigid materials are utilized to collect the excrement of nonambulatory patients. These bedpans are stored in a sterile area away from the wards and rooms where the patients are located. Thus, a hospital attendant must answer a patients call, ascertain the need for a bedpan, go to the sterile storage area to secure the pan, take it back to the patient for use, return to the patient to remove the pan and then return the pan with the waste therein to a disposal area. After the bedpan is emptied, it must be completely sterilized before it can be reused.

Present sterilization techniques for rigid, reusable bedpans require the use of expensive equipment and a considerable amount of time. Likewise, when the pan is moved from area to area with the excrement stored therein, a cover, usually a paper bag or the like, is utilized to cover the bedpan during the move.

Obviously, an attendant wastes a considerable amount of'time in the process of ascertaining the need for a bedpan, going to secure the pan and then returning the pan to a disposal area.

The present system of sterilization of rigid bedpans is not only costly in time and equipment required, but there is a serious doubt as to the ability to achieve 100% sterilization using existing equipment and methods. Of course, it would be nearly impossible to ensure that the same patient uses the same bedpan each time and that no other patient uses the bedpan. Even if methods are worked out so that each patient has exclusive use of a bedpan, there is always the problem of a patient being reinfected by using a non-sterile bedpan.

It must be understood that the problems of infection and reinfection in a hospital are the most critical problems facing its staff. In some cases, if sterilization equipment breaks down or does not operate properly, infection of various types can rapidly spread throughout the hospital.

Of course, the use of a rigid, conventional bedpan is 3,513,488 Patented May 26, 1970 quite uncomfortable for a nonambulatory patient, and, in some instances, such patients will become irritable when an attendant does not promptly return at the patients call to remove the pan, In some cases, continued use of conventional, rigid bedpans will cause aggravation of or formation of decubitus ulcers.

It will be obvious that the use of conventional bedpans in an environment such, for instance, as an army field hospital can never be absolutely sterile. That is, it would be entirely too burdensome to provide a field hospital with the equipment necessary to sterilize each bedpan after it is used.

Still another disadvantage of conventional bedpans is that, in their use, it is diflicult to keep the bedding clean. That is, the bedding if often contaminated by urine spatter when conventional bedpans are used. Of course, it is desirable to keep the bedding absolutely clean and dry.

It is an object of our invention, therefore, to provide a disposable bedpan which is completely sterile, comfortable to use, and economical. Thus, our invention follows recent trends in modern medicine toward the preferred use of disposable medical supplies and facilities. Current hospital and insurance practices permit direct billing to a patients account for the units actually used. Thus, our concept of using disposable bedpans permits the proper billing of a patient for a service, the cost of which has heretofore been reflected in higher day rate charges on a discriminatory basis.

Our disposable bedpan can be provided in a variety of sizes to accommodate patients of various sizes. Our disposable bedpan is inflatable to provide a soft, cushionlike receptacle which is comfortable to the user, yet which is sufliciently rigid, when inflated, to be handled and moved by a hospital attendant.

Preferably, our disposable bedpan is provided in a sealed, sterile package which can be stored in the room with the patient so that the patient will not be required to wait while an attendant obtains a bedpan from a central storage area. In some cases, such as for field hospital use, such a kit will desirably include a cartridge containing compressed gas and a means for puncturing the cartridge thereby to inflate the bedpan.

Our disposable bedpan is preferably provided with an attached flap which is usable as a urine shield when the bedpan is under a patient and as a cover for excrement deposited into the bedpan when the bedpan is being taken to a disposal area.

After the contents of our disposable bedpan are emptied into a suitable receptacle, such as an ordinary commode, the bedpan is deflated and then deposited into a large bag placed in a container, such as a conventional trash can. After a number of deflated bedpans are deposited into the bag, the bag and the used bedpans can then be burned or otherwise disposed of.

In most modern hospitals, there is a commode located in close proximity to each room or ward. Thus, if a bag for collecting the deflated bedpans is placed by each such commode, an attendant will only have to walk from the patient to the nearest commode to dispose of the waste and the bedpan.

Our bedpan will be sterilized as it is manufactured and then packaged in a sterile, sealed package. Preferably, the package is fabricated from a fluid-impervious material so that the bedpan will not become contaminated as long as the package remains closed. As stated previously, it is contemplated that the package will be opened in the room with the patient.

Further objects of our invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, our invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claims is not violated.

In the drawings:

FIG: 1 is a perspective view of our inflated bedpan;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a flap connected to the bedpan folded back thereover entirely to cover the reservoir which receives the waste;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing our bedpan being used by a patient;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view, partially sectioned, of a cartridge containing compressed gas and means for puncturing the gas chamber of the cartridge;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a bag and our bedpan deflated and folded for insertion into the bag;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a package containing a deflated and folded bedpan, which bedpan contains in the walls thereof a gas cartridge such as that shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, partially cut away showing one possible physical location of the cartridge of FIG. 4 in the inflatable cushion portion of our bedpan;

FIG. 8 is a section view taken generally along the lines 8-8 in FIG. 7 further to show the physical location of the cartridge;

'FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bag of FIGS. 5 and 6 showing the bag in solid lines and sealed; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 10--10 in FIG. 9 to show that the bag of FIG. 9 is sealed.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, it will be seen that our bedpan, indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, comprises a ring-shaped, flexible and inflatable cushion 12 which is preferably constructed from a fluidimpervious material, a fluid-impervious, flexible panel 14 connected about the perimeter of the cushion and spanning the inner circumference of the ring to provide, when the cushion is inflated as shown FIG. 1, a fluid-tight reservoir '13 for collecting waste, and a fluid-impervious flap 16 connected to the cushion I12 and arranged to be folded back thereover as shown in FIG. 2, entirely to cover the reservoir 13.

The cushion 12, panel 14 and flap 16 may be made from any suitable fluid-impervious material such as vinyl.

vided in a plurality of sizes to accommodate patients of different size, and that the cushion 12 can be inflated to a pressure suflicient to hold the shape of the reservoir 13 defined by the cushion 12 and the panel 14 when a patient is lying on the bedpan. Obviously, the cushion 12 will have to be inflated to higher pressures for heavier patients.

The illustrative bedpan '10 is a simple structure comprising only the ring-shaped cushion 12 and the piece of material providing the panel 14 and the flap 16. Since the bedpan 10 is only to be used once and then discarded, it can be made quite inexpensively and, yet, perform the function for which it is intended. In other words, the usable life of the bedpan 10 is to be measured in minutes.

Means must be provided for inflating the cushion 12, and in the simplest form of our invention such means may take the form indicated generally by the reference numeral 18. Such means 18, comprising merely a valved tube, are conventional and need not be discussed in this description.

A hospital attendant can inflate the cushion 12 in any number of Ways such, for instance, as by connecting a small hand-operated pump to the means 18. Of course, the cushion 12 can always be orally inflated.

In one embodiment of our bedpan 10, the cushion 12 is provided with a perforation 20 FIG. 1) which is closed by a tab 22 having a finger-engaging portion 24. The tab 22 is releasably connected to the cushion 12 sealably to close the perforation 20. Thus, the cushion 12 is easily deflated simply by pulling on the portion 24. Preferably, the tab 22 will be connected to the cushion '12 by adhesive means.

As an alternative to the tab-covered perforation 20 for deflating the cushion 12, it will be understood that the cushion 12 can be deflated simply by puncturing the wall thereof. In fact, a knife-like instrument for puncturing cushions 12 can be attached to the container in which the bedpans 10 are placed after they are used and emptied.

The flap 16 has two purposes. As shown in FIG. 2, the flap 16 is to be folded back over the bedpan 10 to cover any waste contained in the bedpan while the bedpan is being moved from the patients room or the patients bed to a disposal area.

As shown in FIG. 3, the flap 1e is usable as a urine shield to provide maximum protection against urine spatter, even when the patient is reclining on his back. The flap 16 is of sufiicient size completely to cover the groin area and, when in contact with the body as shown in FIG. 3, provides complete collection of urine and prevents the contamination of bedding. The large size of the flap 16 and its absolute flexibility provides maximum protection against urine spatter.

Referring to FIG. 4, it will be seen that we have illustrated a cartridge, indicated generally by the reference numeral 26, of the type having a chamber 28, one end of which is defined by a membrane 30 which may be fabricated from a material such as soft aluminum. Means, such as indicated generally by the reference numeral 32, is provided for puncturing the membrane 30, the illustrated means 32 comprising a sharpened pin 34 reciprocably mounted in the cartridge 26 to be movable against the membrane 30 and a lever 36 pivotally mounted on the cartridge 26 as indicated at 38. The lever 36 has a wedge portion 40 arranged to engage the pin 34 and to move the pin in the direction of the arrow 42 to puncture the membrane 30 when the lever is pivoted in the direction of the arrow 44. If the chamber 28 is filled with a compressed inert gas, the gas will be released when the membrane 30 is punctured by the pin 34.

The structure of the cartridge 26 is merely illustrative and other types of pressurized gas cartridges may be used to inflate the cushion 12.

By placing the cartridge 26 inside the walls of the cushion 12, as suggested in FIG. 6, we provide a bedpan comprising its own self-inflating system. That is, an attendant can simply remove the bedpan 10 from its package, locate the lever -36 with his hand, and operate the lever 36 to inflate the cushion 12. It will be apparent that such a self-inflating bedpan will be of great use in army field hospitals and other such environments.

The bedpan 10, before the cushion 12 is inflated, can be folded as suggested in FIGS. 5 and 6 and then inserted into a package, such as the illustrated bag 46. Preferably, the package will be fabricated fre-m a fluidimpervious material and will be seaied after the bedpan 10 is inserted thereinto to prevent contamination of the bedpan.

Thus, the package (bag 46), bedpan 10 and means for inflating the bedpan 10 comprise a kit which may be stored indefinitely and used as needed. It will be apparent that the package will be very compact and easy to store. Since the bag 46 is preferably sealed closed and is preferably fabricated from a fluid-impervious material, there will be no need to store the bedpans 10 in a sterile area prior to opening the bag.

The preferred method for using our kits containing the bedpan 10 comprises steps which asure that the disposal of human excrement is handled in a sanitary manner. Preferably, when an attendant answers a patients call and determines that the patient needs to use a bedpan, the attendant will obtain one of our bedpan kits from a cabinet located near the patient, open the package (bag 46) to remove the bedpan, inflate the bedpan and then insert the bedpan under the patient. After the patient has finished using the bedpan, the attendant will remove the bedpan from under the patient, fold the flap 16 over the excrement deposited into the bedpan, carry the bedpan to a convenient commode and there empty the bedpan. As soon as the bedpan is emptied, the attendant will deflate the bedpan either by puncturing the cushion 12 or by removing a tab, such as the tab 22, covering a perforation in the cushion 12 and then deposit the deflated bedpan into a suitable waste container.

'We believe that a suitable waste container for receiving deflated bedpans will comprise a plastic sack supported in a conventional trash can. After a number of deflated bedpans have been deposited into the bag, the bag can be closed and then carried to an incinerator to be destroyed.

Preferably, the bag which receives the deflated bedpans will be provided with an oversized flap which can be draped over the open mouth of the bag at all times except when an attendant is depositing a deflated bedpan into the bag. It is our concept that such a bag can be provided with a small sharp instrument attached thereto to be used as a means of puncturing the cushion 12 of our bedpan 10.

It will be apparent that in addition to saving personnel time now lost in determining the need for bedpans, transporting the bedpans back and forth and sterilizing the bedpans, a saving can also be effected by using our disposable bedpans and thereby doing away with the need for storage facilities and sterilization facilities. Further, and even more important than the saving in time, the use of our disposable bedpans assures absolute sterility, thereby preventing the infecting of patients with bedpans.

What is claimed is:

1. A bedpan kit comprising a sealed, sterile package enclosing a disposable bedpan therein, said bedpan comprising a closed, ring-shaped, flexible and inflatable cushion, said cushion being constructed from a fluid-impervious material, a fluid-impervious, flexible panel connected about the perimeter of said cushion and spanning the inner perimeter thereof to provide, when said cushion is inflated after removal from said package, a self-supporting, fluid-tight reservoir having a continuous upstanding wall for collecting waste, and means for inflating said cushion.

2. A kit as in claim 1 further comprising a fluid-impervious flap connected to said cushion and dimensioned to be folded back over said cushion entirely to cover said reservoir.

3. A kit as in claim 1 wherein said inflating means comprises a cartridge containing compressed gas and means for puncturing said cartridge, thereby to inflate said cushion, said cartridge and said puncturing means being disposed inside the walls of said cushion.

4. A kit as in claim 1 wherein a wall of said cushion is provided with a perforation and further comprising tab means for sealably closing said perforation, said tab means being releasably joined to said cushion so that, when the tab is pulled away from said cushion, the perforation will be opened to deflate the cushion.

5. A kit as in claim 4 wherein said tab means includes adhesive.

6. A kit as is claim 1 wherein said package is a fluidimpervious material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,368,874 2/1921 Zender 4--112 1,864,434 6/1932 Hart 4113 2,353,245 7/1944 Kise-r 4-113 2 ,658,512 11/ 1953 Tcheong.

2,750,600 6/ 1956 MacDonald 41 13 3,061,840 11/1962 Presseisen 4-113 3,152,344 10/1964 Radnofsky et a1. 93 1 6 3,286,832 11/1966 Pilger 20663.2 XR 3,377,631 4/1968 Whitney 4-112 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner 

